LaunchBar is an award winning productivity utility that offers an amazingly intuitive and efficient way to search and access any kind of information stored on your computer or on the web. It provides instant access to your applications, documents, contacts and bookmarks, to your music library, to search engines and more, just by entering short abbreviations of the searched item's name.

You just hit Command-Space to bring LaunchBar's input window to front, enter an arbitrary abbreviation, and as soon as you start typing LaunchBar displays the best matching choices, ready to be opened immediately.

Start applications, open documents, invoke system services, compose emails or navigate the web - LaunchBar will be your essential servant.

Been using LaunchBar every day for years. Spotlight keeps getting better and better, but LaunchBar still saves me time every day, and outdoes Spotlight for all of the things I do most:
- Copy to Plain Text
- Calculate
- Open a file via another (non associated) Application
- Clipboard History
- Web Search Shortcuts

I've been trying to get rid of as many 3rd party apps on my system as possible, and tried to make the switch to Spotlight as my dominant launcher, but it just can't compete with LaunchBar.

The practical stuff; previously used Quicksilver, which has a nicer looking UI, but that aside LaunchBar is more reliable, faster, easier to setup and consumes less system resources. It is also subject to ongoing development, which did not appear to be the case for Quicksilver when I switched.

In terms of usage; increased productivity arrives quickly, however it is worth taking some time to study the training materials. Once done it pays off big time; the ability to perform and to get at so many different things on your computer with so few key strokes is very convenient and speeds up most interactions with OSX.

I was going to list a few things I regularly use it for, however the review size limit prevents, have a look at the videos on the LaunchBar website to get a flavour.

If you use OSX a lot, then then this should really be at the top of your shopping list, landing on a box without it feels like a return to the dark ages.

Very polished, very reliable, and arguably the best abbreviation recognition in my experience. I feel constrained without LaunchBar nowadays. I'm using this in conjunction with DragThing. Both are essential to me. Strongly recommended.

This app rules. like most others, I first used this when it was pretty much the only app of its kind, and I marveled at how it seemingly read my mind. Then, I of course dabbled with and eventually switched to quicksilver for a couple years and I loved its plugins and power... until it started crashing on me left and right. Saw Launchbar 5's features and switched back to LB immediately. Excellent.

Although LaunchBar was the first app of its type that I tried back in the day, it always seemed to be missing something and I left it for Butler, then Quicksilver, both of which I depended on at different times.

LB5 sees the app finally realise its full potential and after extensive use during the beta period I now rely solely on its features, simplicity, speed and stability. Love it!